Machine for applying capsules



June 5, 192s. 1,672,278

' C. H. OSI-UND ET AL MACHINE lFon APPLYING CAPSULE Filed Sept. 4, 1924 i 2 Sheets-Sheet l i 2, i fww' June' 5, 192s. 1,672,278

- c. H. osLUNQ ET Al. Y

MACHINE FOR APPLYING CAPSULES Filed sept. 4, 1924 2 sheets-Sheet 2 l Il l 1 O IO i 'Ol Ja I l I @a I @Ik 1 z @i l if 1w i@ d i. :47 LU, e 56 i i sl,"` 2

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Charms H.Oslund. --.Emonuv'l -U'ohneon vPatented IJune 5., 1928.

UNITED sTATEs l Y i CHARLES H. OSLUND' AND JOHN EMANUEL JOHNSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHU- l 1,672,278 PATENT oEFlcE.

SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE 0.- & J. MACHINE COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSA- CHUSETTS, A vCORPORATION OF 'MASSACHUSETT l f l MACHINE FOR APPLYIN G CAPSULES. i

This invention relates to the application of capsules to bottles and thev like. These capsules are cup-shaped objects'of thin lead or other soft metal and are applied to the tops of bottles and other containers after the bottles are` sealed, usually'by means of a cork.- They are applied ordinarily by hand and materially increasethe costofthe goods.

lThe principal objectl of this invent-ion is to provide an automatic machine for smoothing down these capsules iaround the neck of the bottle or other containers so as to leave them in rproper `condition for exhibition, shipmentand sale. The capsules are placed on the bottles by hand andthe bottles are fed to the machine which performs the operation of smoothing them down around the vend of the capsule or around the neck so that they are left in a smoothl condition at the bottom and pressed down into contact with the neck of the bottle. VThe invention also involves the provision of a multiple part die or smoothing device and mechanism for 'bringing it down in position for pressing it against the' capsule all around and forcing it down past `the bottom of the capsule to leave it. in a condition before mentioned. It also involves means for yieldingly holding the dies up against the capsule and for vreleasing them and holding thenrout, away from the bottle at the bottom of the stroke and keeping them. in that condition until the dies are. raised above the top of t-he bottle vwhich is then delivered in condition for sale.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to behad to the accompanyingdrawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a machine .constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion ofthe machine for holding t-he bottle and feeding it;

'I guide and the dies in section;

` Fig. 3 is a plan of the top of the machine, above the parts shown in Fig. 2, with the Fig. 4 is an end view, looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3 with thedies and certainrother. parts'in section;.

Fig. 5 is 'a .side lview of thesame. with the same parts/in section. showing the operating mechanism in elevation;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary. View of two of the dies, and l ,v

I Fig. 7 is a side View showing two cams.

Application le'd September 4, 1924. Serial No. 735,895. l

We have shown the machine as comprising a frame 10. having .thereon anendless chain conveyor 11, operated inany desired way for carrying bottles or 'othervcontainers through the machine. e

On the lower partof'theframe is a main shaft 12 which canbe connected with the power by clutch 13. operated by lever 14. It

can be operated by hand-wheel 15, keyedto y it also when not in'connection with the power so that it can be turned to bring the parts 'to any desired position. On this shaft 12, is a gear 16, meshing with a gear (not shown) on a transverse horizontal shaft 18. On this -shaft 18 there is another gear 19, meshing with a gea-r20 .on the bottom of 4a vert-ical shaft 2.1. The latter by similar gearinfg drives a cam shaft- 23 at the top o the frame.

On the shaft-'23 is a cam 24, which` bv vmeans of an arm :25 operates a vertical shaft 26 on whichthe arm is fixed. 'This shaft,

-1through a toggle 27, operates a similar shaft 28. l On these two shafts are arms 29 and'30, ,y

the latter having a spring joint31 made to yieldfoth are. provided with grippers 32 A'for engaging the opposite'sides of a bottle and holding it in position for the machine to operate on, as is indicated in Figures l and 2, while the bottles are in the conveyor.

v We have shown conventionally an auto-A matitl device 33 common in labeling mchin'es for preventing the next bottle from being fed along before it is time to apply thel capsule to it. By this means the bottles are adapted to be placed on the conveyor by hand or in any other way with the'capsules- C, thereon. and`fed automatically up to op;

erative position. where they are held while themachine operates. although the conveyor ma be moving continually. y

n the cam shaft 23 there are also two other cams-35 and 35a. having on their faces cam grooves. for operating rollson a pair of head'.- 39 moves up and down in a guide form in tliejframeand is held inby means of verticalpieces 52 which are removable.. The

jhead'sgri58fand 39 being connected together byfscreyv .40.moveas oneunit, Fixed on this screwff40 :isa gear 43 meshing with a gear r44 onf .another -screw 45 so that they can be -adjusted together.

in head 39 by vertical'pieces 59. The head 46 has a lug 47 projecting horizontally through Ia' slotin head- 39 and contains an' adjustingscrew 49 `which engages a rod 48. ...,Thisfro'd 4 8 floats in a bearing in head 39 and constitutes a plunger having'a head 50 below resting on a series of bell cranks 55 for a' purpose to be described.'

0n `the bottom of the .head 394 is a platel 53 which moves up and down with the head and has a series of pins 54, preferably four. On each pin is pivoted a bell crank 55 on the bottom of which there is af'dieholder 56. These die holders are arranged around a' center and held in place by a coiled spring 57, arranged around them to force them inwardlyv toward the center with a certain f degree of yielding pressure. Then they jareried by the di'e holders-andl passing throughsemi-cylindrical passages ,65, which arelscrew' threaded to receive the screws.

forced down they -will hug up against the bottle and capsule.`

In each of the die holders there Varet-vvo dies and 61. The upper die 60 has a slanting or conical surface 62 and the lower die a similar but opposite' conical surface 63. vBetween these conical surfaces each die has-a concave cylindrical surface v66 forengaging the top of the capsule, pressing it against the bottle, and leaving.v 1tl smooth. The dies are held in place by screws ,64, car- The Adies above and below'do not exactly register but are relatively 'displaced` 'c ir'cumferentiallv.'

In other wordsythey are arranged to break joints as indicated in Fig. 6,*toavoid creasing the capsules between the dies.

In the operation of-the. machine bottles B with the capsules C placed on top, as shown at 4the bottom ofFig. 4 and also Fig. l'are. put on the conveyor 3. The conveyor moves along until grippers 32 engage a bottle to lhold itin position. These grippers are so timed vrelatlveto the restof the machine lthat when -abottle has been, Agripped as, stated, the cams 35 [and which operate' A the links 38 and 51 willl cause 4the'links to depress' the heads 39 and 46 in thesame'rela- .tive position to each other. thus carrying down the-dies with them. \The.smooth cy" -lindrical surfaces of thedies act-to smooth down the capsule and leave it in the Shaper. shown in Fig. 5 At this'time the csi-m35 connected to link 51 depresses the head -46- A.bottle labeling machines.

a little beyond the head 39 which has reached its lowermost position causing the screw 49 to engage the rod 48. This brings down the plunger 50 from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that inv Fig. 5 where it acts to spread the bell cranks 55 and swing all of the dies outwardly as shown in Fig. 5, While the cams 35 and 35a raise the links 38 and 51 to raise the heads 39 and 46 together causing the die holders 56 to swing in. lThe parts are now in the position again shown in Fig. 4, ready to act on the next bottle 'when this one has been moved along and adjusted by operation of the hand Wheel 15 so as to brin the head up or down as may be desired. he adjustments are provided vfor through the square end 41. The screw 49 is for the purpose of adjusting the plunger 50 and the 'dies to the proper position relative. to the other parts. In this Way these capsules can be smoothed down accurately and uniformly so that they Will all be alike with a great saving of time and labor.

We do not claim lherei-n the means for regulating the feed of the bottles or the conveyor as these parts are Well known in Although we have illustratedA and described only a single form of the invention, ive are aware of the .fact that modifications .can bemade therein by any personskilled in the art wit-hout departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore We do not Wish to be limited to all the details of construction herein shownand described but what We do claim is:-'.

1. In a. machine 'for finishing-capsuleson bottles or the like, the combination with means for supportinga bottle with a cap.-

sule thereon in astatlonary position, a re? ciprocable'head,a plurality of pivoted diefholders movable down with the head around the to of the bottle and capsule, means for4 sprea ing said die holders from each other,

a series of smoothing dies, carried by the' f die-holders for engaging the capsule, and means for` moving thefhead to aposition to bring the dies down 'below' the. head and around the neck of the bottle, said dies each y having a slantin'g vconical -surface for the 4purpose desdrbed.

2. In a,machine for -smoothing capsules on bottlesV or the .like,'the'combination with, f

means for supporting a bottlewith a capsule thereon in a stationary position,a vertically reciprocab'le head, a plurality ofdie.- holders, movable down with the head around the`top of the bottle and capsule, and a series of smoothing dies, carried by thev die-holders for engaging Athe capsuleand smoothing itydown' around the neck of' theibottle, each die-holder having dies-that are off set with respect to each other and i having passages through which the two dies faces for engaging the capsules and smoothcan be secured to the die-holder by al screw. 3. In a machine for smoothing capsules on bottles or the like, the combination with means for supporting a bottle with a capsule thereon in stationary position, a reciprocable head, a plurality of pivoted die-- holders movable -downwiththe head around the top of the bottle and capsule, meansA for spreading said die holders from each other and a series of smoothing dies carried by the die-holders, the dies in each .die-holder having an upper and a lower flarin surface at opposite ends and having a `cy indrical surfacel between them of va length sullicient for performing 'the smoothing operation down on the neck of the bottle.K

l 4. In a machine for applying soft metal capsules to bottles and the like, the combi'- nation of a reciprocal head, a series of bellcranks pivoted on the bottom of the head, each bell-crank having a" die-holder on the bottom, and machine operated means for spreading said cranks apart from each other, a series of .dies in the die-holders,

'having smooth surfaces for engaging 4the ing them' down on lthe bottles,l yielding means lfor holding the die-holders inward toward each other under pressure while.

the are in operation, a plunger movable wit the head, means for bringing the plunger down at the end. of the downward stroke `of the'head, and means'actuated by the plunger to separate the dies.'

6.. In a machine for applying*v soft metal capsules to bottles and the like,the combiv nation of1a` reciprocable head, withy a ser'es of bell-cranks thereon each having a die n the bottom thereof for engaging th cap-v sules and smoothing them down on thebott tle, yielding means 'for holding the dies inward-toward each other, a plunger movable withthe head, means. for' bringing the plungermovable down on the belly-cranks aty theeid Aof, the downward stroke'of the head to, separate the dies, and means for thereafter raising the plunger to allow the bellcranks to leave the diesin position for the next operation 7. In a machine for applying capsules,

the combination of a, pair of 'ca-ms, means for rotating the cams, a pair of arms operated by the cams, a vert-ically'mv'able head connected' with one of said. arms, dies mov-- able with the head and with respect to each other for performing a' smoothing'o eration on "the capsule, and :a plunger Inova le with the head and conne'ctedlwith the other 'arm -for controlling the relative locations of said dies.

In testimony whereofwe have vh ereuntol aixed'our signatures. j

- CHARLESQH. OSLUND.

f MJOHII EMANUEL" JOHNSON. ,f 1` 

